


The distance that separates

by ArtemisKane



Series: Trials and Tribulations of Artemis Kane and the Gangsey. [19]
Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Communication, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Mild Car Sex, Miscommunication, Multi, implied sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:15:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26518849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtemisKane/pseuds/ArtemisKane
Summary: “Two more days...”
Relationships: Adam Parrish/Original Female Character(s), Richard Gansey III/Adam Parrish, Richard Gansey III/Adam Parrish/Original Female Character(s), Richard Gansey III/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Trials and Tribulations of Artemis Kane and the Gangsey. [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1814629





	The distance that separates

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everybody!!
> 
> Back at it again with an angsty and fluffy one!! Hope you all enjoy!!
> 
> Also, all characters are 19 and in a consensual polyamory relationship. Artemis Kane is a feisty, caring, loving, analytical, self-sacrificing, and insecure Omega Werewolf.

“Do you wanna go for a drive?” Gansey asks suddenly, shifting a little from where he lays horizontally on the couch, jostling my position with my head on his chest.

“Sure...” I say, carefully noting the faint signs of anxiety at the corners of his eyes. I move to straddle him and cup his face in my hands, levelling him with a concerned look, “You ok?”

Gansey hesitates, but then sighs, raising his hands to hold mine.

“I’m fine,” Gansey murmurs, a slight smile on his lips, before his face falls a little, “I just...I get anxious...when the three of us aren’t together...” His brows pinch a little, and he closes his eyes and breaths deeply.

I press a thumb to the line between his eyebrows, smoothing it out as he opens his eyes and looks at me, a shaft of light illuminating his hazel eyes behind his glasses and making him glow. I note the barely there tears in his eyes, but I don’t comment, I just lean down and press my lips against his, very softly.

“Two more days...” I say against his lips, feeling a wave of longing wash over me when I think about Adam back at Yale.

“Two more days.” Gansey breaths, and he seems a little lighter, less tense. He smiles, pulling me down with strong arms around my waist, and I nuzzle into his neck a moment, feeling him slowly relax, before I’m pushing myself up and looking at him.

“Where do you wanna drive to?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The gorgeous West Virginia green is whipping past us as Gansey drives the Pig down the highway, one of his hands in mine, thumb stroking over my knuckles gently when he isn’t shifting gears as he uses his other hand to steer.

We’ve been driving around aimlessly for the past 45 minutes, but now it looks like we’re headed to a specific destination, but no matter how much I’ve tried to get that answer out of Gansey, he’s only insisted that I be patient, a small excited smile on his face.

Eventually, Gansey turns down this dirt path that leads up, and up, and up, until we come into this little rest-area at the very top.

It’s beautiful. 

There’s a railing along the edge of what would be a terrifying cliff, but instead allows you to enjoy the gorgeous view of the mountains and the miniature sized Henrietta rendered golden in the light of the setting sun, reminiscent of Gansey’s cereal box version back at Monmouth.

The rest-stop is completely deserted and surrounded by luscious trees that sway in the gentle breeze, only the faint sound of the raucous wildlife penetrating the fresh air.

Stunning. Ethereal. Alive.

Gansey parks the Pig close to the railing, both of us taking a moment to look out at the gorgeous view.

I notice Gansey watching me, and I turn to face him.

He smiles and brings our joined hands up to his lips, and presses a gentle kiss to my slightly chapped knuckles.

“You’re so gorgeous, Artemis.” Gansey whispers.

I smile in turn, and I lean over the gearshift to press our lips together.

Gansey tastes like mint and vanilla chapstick. His lips are soft, and they take my breath away as Gansey deepens the kiss, placing a hand on my cheek.

Our tongues dance, exploring each other’s mouths and drawing faint sounds from the other.

I don’t think I’ll ever tire of kissing this beautiful young man.

Gansey pulls away slightly and very gently bites my lower lip, earning him a faint groan. He grins, all easy confidence and old money charm.

“Artemis,” my eyes flutter open, and I promptly get lost within his, “would you be interested in partaking in some more...prurient activities?”

I laugh a little against his lips, before kissing him passionately.

“Yes, my good sir,” I tease, “I would be delighted.”

He kisses my nose before getting out and urging me to lie down along the backseat.

“Is this a fantasy of yours?” I inquire, a mischievous tilt to my lips.

Gansey stutters slightly, cheeks flushing a faint pink.

“Well...yes, I’ll admit, I have had some...umm...”

I giggle and pull him down on top of me, wrapping my legs around his waist and rolling my hips up into his.

“I’m definitely not complaining.” I breath against his slightly parted lips.

He kisses me deeply, wrapping me in his arms while grinding firmly against me, holding me tight to him, possessively.

“You better not be, gorgeous.” Gansey growls out with a smirk on his face, both of us getting lost in the easy pleasure and love coalescing into a wonderful bubble of ecstasy, the sky turning dark as we make love in the backseat of the Pig.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We pick up some Chinese takeout on the way back to Monmouth, the sharp edge of Gansey’s jaw too tantalizing not to press a kiss to when he returns to the car with the food.

He chuckles lightly and kisses my cheek, handing me the bags as he starts up the sputtering and finicky engine of his beloved Camaro.

The drive back is pleasant, the warm weight of the takeout on my lap and the cool night air through the open windows coupled with the sight of Gansey completely at ease within his pride and joy making for a magical couple of minutes until we pull up to Monmouth, Gansey helping me carry the food inside, pausing briefly once we set the food down to press me up against the “kitchen” counter and kiss me breathless, both of us parting with pink cheeks and swollen lips.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So now my roommate is trying to bribe me to go with him to Laurence’s party by offering to do my English Lit homework despite me being the one who has a better grade in it. Can you believe that?”

Gansey and I both laugh as Adam shakes his head through Gansey’s phone screen, the three of us video calling over dinner.

“Other than Bryce being a dumbass,” I chuckle, earning a snort from Gansey and a bright grin from Adam, “how was your day?”

“Good, good,” Adam murmurs, his Henrietta accent slipping into his words, taking another bite from his sandwich and rubbing the bridge of his nose a little, “exhausting and stressful, but good. It’s what I’ve been working my whole life for, so I’m not wasting any second of it.”

I smile softly, and I notice Gansey doing the same, although there’s a slight tension around his eyes. Adam notices this too.

“Gans? Is everything ok?” Adam asks, concerned while shifting to face the camera more.

Gansey huffs out a laugh and flaps his hand dismissively, “I’m fine, it’s nothing, don’t worry.”

I move closer to him and grab his hand, squeezing a little and receiving a squeeze in return.

“Gansey.” Adam insists gently, but pointedly nonetheless.

Gansey sighs and removes his glasses, taking his hand out of mine so he can clean them with the corner of his shirt, which I protest to slightly not only due to him no longer holding my hand, but also cause his shirt isn’t the right material, but it’s plain to see that while he’s ostensibly cleaning his glasses, this is just an excuse to not look at either Adam or me.

“You’re coming back though, right?” Gansey murmurs so softly that I barely catch it, and by the wince that Gansey gives when Adam responds with an incredulous “What?” it’s clear that he was hoping that neither one of us heard it.

“Gansey,” Adam says, brows furrowed and eyes confused, “what do you mean am I coming back?”

Gansey bites his lip and sighs, finally giving up on his unsuccessful plan of glasses cleaning, looking up at Adam.

“I’m so proud of you, Adam,” Gansey starts, gaze tender and voice firm, although both are tinged with slight pain, “you’ve worked so hard and been through so much. You’ve gotten so far and you’re only gonna go farther. And I know that Artemis is proud of you too and also wants you to have everything you could ever want, cause you deserve all that and more.” Adam scoffs a little, cheeks flushed as Gansey continues, “But I can’t help but wonder...wonder if one day you’ll...you’ll grow tired of coming back to Henrietta...coming back to us.” A sharp stab of pain goes through me at the thought, and I have to tamp down hard on the urge to cry. “Which is alright if that’s what you want, but...yeah...”

I can’t help but nod a little, my eyes watering despite my best efforts, Gansey’s hand intertwining with mine.

But before either one of us can break more, Adam’s loud exclamation of “Bullshit!” draws both of our startled gazes.

“Shut the fuck up,” Adam states, voice angry and eyes ablaze, “Is that what you both really think? That I’m so heartless and cruel to just leave you both behind when things get tough? That I’m that selfish and self-centred?” Adam’s voice is dipping into hurt now, although the fury is still very much present.

“No, Adam,” I exclaim, eyebrows raised and worry colouring my words, “of course not! We both just...we don’t want you to feel like you are obligated to...to do anything you don’t want to.”

Adam only gets angrier at that.

“Fuck you.” Adam’s voice is quiet and drips venom, “Fuck you both.” 

And then he hangs up, leaving both Gansey and I to stare in shocked and pained silence at the black screen left behind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gansey tries to call Adam back several times, to no avail. I do too, but it only leads to the same result.

Gansey has a panic attack, and I struggle with my own brokenness while I try to calm him down. Eventually, he does, much to my staggering relief, and then we both collapse into each other’s arms, crying well into the early hours of the morning.

I’m passed out, curled against Gansey’s front, his nose buried in my hair and dried tear tracks on both our faces, when my phone suddenly rings.

I’m up like a shot, jostling Gansey roughly who had managed to actually sleep a little, and I’m almost crying once more in relief when I see Adam’s caller ID appear on my phone, the picture I took of him while he was bent over one of his textbooks with that adorable furrow in the middle of his brow making my gut twist with yearning and pain. I notice the time belatedly, 12:30, Adam’s lunch break until 1:15.

When I pick up, I’m greeted with the bittersweet sight of Adam looking for all intents and purposes put together, but I can see the imperfectness of his usually perfect tie, and the heavy bags under his red-rimmed eyes as if he hadn’t slept a wink.

“Adam!” Gansey cries, tears in his eyes as he leans over my shoulder to look at Adam, “Adam, please, we’re so sorry, please believe us! We were being foolish, and it was wrong of us to doubt you-“

Adam holds up a finger, “Stop, Gansey.” His voice is tired, and he closes his eyes a moment, breathing deeply as he adjusts himself in his desk chair back at his dorm, “Look, I’m sorry I didn’t pick up your calls or call you sooner, but I just needed to-“

“Adam...” I murmur, a tear trickling down my cheek.

Adam opens his eyes and regards us both a moment, gaze unreadable before his face morphs into one of immense concern.

“Wait, why are you crying, Artemis?” Adam inquires worriedly, “And Gans, did you...did you have a panic attack?”

I have no idea how he was able to tell, but apparently something about Gansey clued him in. Adam begins shaking his head as he brings up a hand to cover his mouth.

“No, no, no,” he whispers, eyes filled with horror, “Oh god, no, please don’t...I’m so sorry I didn’t realize...I just needed to cool down but I didn’t...I didn’t think...I’m so sorry!”

There are tears filling Adam’s eyes as he continues to shake his head and apologize.

“Adam!” I say, trying to get him out of his head, “It’s ok, it’s ok-“

“It’s not!” Adam exclaims, guilt and impotent frustration exploding out of him, “It’s not ok, don’t you dare say that! I was stupid and immature hanging up on you both like that! I was mad and wanted to calm down, but I should’ve realized how me doing that and then not picking your calls would affect you, and I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you both like that, I swear! I...I’m sorry, I know that won’t fix it, but please believe me.”

Gansey and I are both nodding before he even finishes.

“Of course, Adam,” Gansey says, attempting to smile shakily, “we forgive you, and we hope you forgive us in turn.”

“Yeah, yeah, fuck,” Adam mumbles, still with that vague look of horror in his eyes, but looking more present, “yes, I forgive you. And it’s normal you both were feeling like that...I’m sorry I...I’m sorry I lost my temper when you both were just trying to tell me how you feel.”

“And we are sorry for doubting you, Adam,” I murmur, “We trust you, and we are sorry we made you feel like we didn’t.”

We all take a moment to breath a little, the three of us processing what happened in the last couple of hours.

“This can’t happen again.” I say, my voice firm, “We can’t resolve our fights like this, especially if we aren’t all together. This isn’t good.”

Gansey nods a little, “Agreed.” He presses more firmly against my back, guilt on his face, and I squeeze one of his hands in reassurance.

“I’m sorry...” Adam whispers, still stuck.

“It’s all of us, Adam,” I murmur gently, urging with my eyes that he’ll get out of his head and actually listen to my words, “we all need to keep learning how to communicate with one another, about anything. We are all learning together, and mistakes will be made. The important thing is that we work it out and try to be better. Together.”

Finally, Adam nods slightly, his eyes clearing and focusing on Gansey and I, before he says in a desperate rush, “I love you both, so much, and just because what I want career-wise isn’t there with you two doesn’t mean that I’m not gonna come back for you. I will, always.”

I smile lovingly, tears clouding my vision.

“We know,” Gansey says with a watery smile of his own, “we know.”

Adam nods more firmly, wiping the tears that were rushing down his face.

“I love you.” He tells us both, voice choked and words sincere.

“I love you.” Gansey tells us both, heart pounding and eyes alight with love.

“I love you.” I tell them both, flowers blooming in my heart.

Adam smiles a little, and I desperately wish I could kiss him. When I tell him as much, he gives a trembling laugh and assures us both that he’ll be there tomorrow, and he’ll shower us both with so many kisses and cuddles that it’ll feel like we were never apart.

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow can’t come fast enough.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!! As always, constructive criticism is much appreciated!!


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